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Glossary

Makeup Glossary A–Z: professional terms explained

Makeup Glossary A–Z: professional terms explained

Every term a makeup student meets, defined in plain language. Where a term has its own article in this knowledge hub, the definition links to it. The glossary grows as the hub grows; terms are added when a student, a bride or a reader asks what a word means.

A

Airbrush makeup — Makeup applied as a fine mist from a compressor-driven gun rather than by brush or sponge. A method, not a product type. See What is Airbrush Makeup?.

Alcohol-based (airbrush) — Airbrush formula using isopropyl alcohol as the solvent; dries instantly, waterproof, used for body art and effects, not facial foundation.

Almond eyes — Eye shape with outer corners slightly higher than the inner corners and a visible crease; suits almost every liner style.

Analogous colours — Colours next to each other on the colour wheel (copper, bronze, warm brown); they harmonise.

Applicator — Any tool that carries product to the face; professionals use disposable applicators for eyes and lips.

B

Baking — Pressing a thick layer of loose powder onto concealed areas for several minutes so the skin's warmth sets the product, then dusting away the excess. Gives a very matte, set finish; used sparingly on dry or mature skin.

Base — The skin-evening layer of makeup: primer, foundation, concealer and setting. See What is Foundation?.

BB cream — A tinted, sheer-coverage moisturiser with skincare additives ("beauty balm"). Sits at the sheer end of coverage.

Blending — Softening the edge of any product until it has no visible border. The skill that separates professional from amateur work.

Blush — Colour applied to the cheeks to imitate a natural flush; placement changes with face shape. See What is Contouring?.

Bronzer — A warm shade applied where the sun would naturally hit — high points of the cheeks, forehead, nose bridge. Not the same as contour.

Brow bone — The bony ridge under the eyebrow; a highlight point.

Buffing — Working product into the skin with small circular motions of a dense brush, for a seamless, thin layer.

Buildable — A product that can be layered for more coverage or intensity without caking.

C

CC cream — "Colour-correcting" cream: a sheer base with colour-correcting pigments, one step up from a BB cream.

Colour correction — Neutralising a discolouration with its complementary colour before foundation (green for red, peach or orange for blue-violet, yellow for purple, lavender for sallow). See Colour Correction Explained.

Colour wheel — The circle of hues (red, yellow, blue primaries; orange, green, violet secondaries) used to predict how colours mix and sit together. See Colour Theory for Makeup Artists.

Complementary colours — Colours opposite on the wheel; mixed, they cancel to neutral. The basis of colour correction.

Concealer — A more concentrated form of foundation for spot coverage; applied after foundation, where the foundation did not finish the job.

Contour — A cool, matte shade one to two steps deeper than the skin, placed in the recesses (under the cheekbone, temples, jaw) to imitate shadow. See What is Contouring?.

Coverage — How much of the skin's own colour a base hides: sheer, medium or full. Independent of finish.

Crease — The fold of the eyelid where the lid meets the socket; the zone where a "crease shade" is blended.

Cream contour — Contour in cream form; blends easily, sits in the skin, goes on before powder.

Cupid's bow — The double curve at the centre of the upper lip; a highlight point and the anchor for lip liner.

Cut crease — An eye technique that draws a sharp line along the crease with concealer or a light shade, separating the lid from the socket, then fills the lid with a contrasting colour.

D

Deep-set eyes — Eyes set back under a prominent brow bone; liner kept thin and close to the lashes.

Dewy — A finish with added light — reflective particles or emollients — reading as fresh, hydrated skin. Can read as oily under flash.

Downturned eyes — Outer corners lower than the inner corners; liner is angled upward to lift.

Dual-action (airbrush) — An airbrush gun whose trigger controls air when pressed and makeup when pulled back, for variable flow.

E

Emulsion — A stable mixture of water and oil (or silicone) phases; most liquid foundations are water-in-silicone emulsions.

Eyeliner — A defined line drawn along the upper (and sometimes lower) lash line. Pencil, gel, liquid, pen. See Eyeliner: types, tools and application.

F

Face shape — The proportion of forehead, cheekbones and jaw and the face's length: oval, round, square, heart, long, diamond. Decides contour placement.

Film former — An ingredient (acrylates and similar polymers) that helps a base adhere and resist transfer; the basis of long-wear formulas.

Finish — How the surface of a base looks once set: matte, satin or dewy. Independent of coverage.

Flashback — A white cast on the face in flash photographs, caused by light-reflecting ingredients — chiefly silica in HD powders and the mineral sunscreens zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. See What is HD Makeup?.

Foundation — The tinted base that evens skin colour. See What is Foundation?.

Full coverage — A base that hides most discolouration in one or two layers.

G

Gel liner — Eyeliner in a pot, applied with an angled brush; long-wearing and versatile.

Gradient lip — A lip with deeper colour at the centre fading to lighter at the edges.

Graphic liner — Bold, sharply defined eyeliner shapes, usually editorial.

H

Halo eye — An eyeshadow technique with a light shade at the centre of the lid and deeper shades at the inner and outer corners.

HD makeup — Finely milled, light-diffusing makeup applied in thin layers so it stays undetectable at high resolution. A product category and finish, not a method. See What is HD Makeup?.

Highlight / highlighter — A lighter shade placed on the points that catch light: cheekbone tops, nose bridge, brow bone, inner eye corner, cupid's bow.

Hooded eyes — Eyes where a fold of skin covers part or all of the crease when open; liner is drawn with the eye open and the wing angled above the fold.

Hue — The name of a colour's position on the wheel (red, blue-green). One of three colour properties with value and intensity.

I

Intensity (saturation) — How pure or muted a colour is. A "nude" is a low-intensity version of the lip's own hue.

Iron oxides — The red, yellow and black pigments that, mixed, give foundation its shade.

Isopropyl alcohol (70%) — The working disinfectant of a professional kit; effective at roughly 60–90% in water, not at near-pure strength. See Makeup Hygiene for Professionals.

K

Kajal / kohl — A soft, creamy, smudgeable pencil worn on the waterline and lower lash line; the base of most Indian bridal eyes.

Kit — The professional's full set of products and tools, organised for hygiene and speed.

L

Lash line — The edge of the eyelid where the lashes grow; the line eyeliner follows.

Lip liner — A pencil that defines and, if needed, reshapes the lip edge before lipstick.

Long-wear — A formula with film formers and volatile ingredients that set to a transfer-resistant film.

M

Matte — A finish with no shine; oil-absorbing.

Medium coverage — A base that clearly evens tone; blemishes soften but need concealer.

Monolid — An eye with no visible crease; liner is drawn thicker and extended outward.

Mousse foundation — An aerated cream foundation with a light, matte finish.

O

Olive undertone — A green-grey cast beneath the skin, common across South Asia; often mis-read as neutral. See Skin Undertone Explained.

Overtone — The surface impression of the skin today — tan, redness, sallowness — as distinct from the fixed undertone.

Oxidation — A foundation darkening or warming after application as volatile ingredients evaporate; why shade is judged after a two-minute wait.

P

Palette (mixing) — A clean steel or disposable surface onto which products are decanted with a spatula, so the product itself is never touched.

Powder (setting) — Loose or pressed powder that sets a base and controls oil; silica-based HD powders are near-colourless.

Primer — A product applied before foundation to smooth texture and help the base adhere; used where needed, not everywhere.

PSI — Pounds per square inch, the unit of air pressure; makeup airbrush compressors work at roughly 15–25 PSI.

S

Satin — A finish between matte and dewy that shows the skin's own light; the most common finish and the safest for photographs.

Setting spray — A film-forming mist applied after makeup to marry layers and extend wear.

Sheer — The lightest coverage; the skin's own colour shows through.

Silica — A spherical light-diffusing powder ingredient; gives HD powders their soft-focus effect and their flashback risk.

Silicone-based — A base or airbrush formula whose carrier is silicone fluid; silky, long-wearing, water-resistant.

Single-action (airbrush) — An airbrush gun whose trigger controls air only; makeup flow is preset.

Smokey eye — A diffused, gradient eye with the deepest colour at the lash line, blended upward and outward.

Soft focus — The blurring effect produced when spherical particles scatter light in many directions.

Spatula — A metal tool for decanting product to a palette; the single most effective hygiene habit.

Stick foundation — A wax-based solid foundation; medium-to-full coverage, matte to satin.

T

Tightlining — Lining the upper waterline so the lash line looks thicker with no visible line on the lid.

Titanium dioxide — The white pigment that gives foundation its opacity; also a mineral sunscreen that can cause flashback.

Transition shade — A soft, mid-tone eyeshadow blended above the crease to bridge lid colour and skin.

Transfer-resistant — A formula that, once set, does not rub off onto clothing.

U

Undertone — The fixed hue beneath the skin's surface: warm, cool, neutral or olive. Matched before depth. See Skin Undertone Explained.

V

Value — How light or dark a colour is; a contour is the skin's hue at a lower value.

Volatile silicone — A silicone (such as cyclomethicone) that evaporates after application, leaving pigment and film behind; the basis of long-wear bases.

W

Water-based (airbrush) — Airbrush formula with water as the solvent; gentle, breathable, matte-to-satin, not waterproof unless sealed.

Waterline — The wet rim along the inner edge of the eyelids between lashes and eye; where kajal and tightlining go. The most infection-sensitive site.

Water-in-silicone — The emulsion type of most modern liquid foundations: water droplets suspended in silicone.

Wing (winged liner) — The flick that extends eyeliner past the outer corner, angled along the line of the lower lashes.

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